Sad news…..

And yet in Los Angeles I see vacant space everywhere, including large buildings and warehouses, perfect places for a poolroom. One day "supply and demand" will start bringing the rental prices down. Who wants to own a building sitting vacant for years. One of the properties I'm invested in lost their anchor tenant last April. The space is vacant and of course the income on that property is way down, by almost two thirds. I'm a minor owner so I have no say in how the property is managed, but I made suggestions to the major partner about what to do but all I can do is sit back and wait. C'est la vie. You gotta save up for a rainy day!
I see those spaces now as well Jay.

What scares me about opening a room in LA is there’s no pool culture left. Pools been pretty much gone for 25-30 years. Who’s got time to build up a pool culture like Sacramento has?

I think a well fitted room in LA these days would largely sit empty, unless you had a bar going and that a whole nother kettle of fish I don’t want to bother with.

Then factor in the California BS and taxes, liability etc. All I see is a bunch of frivolous las suits and no income to defend them.

Which is why I’m not leasing any space and starting a room. Which brings this idea of empty space full circle, I bet there’s lots of capable biz men in other businesses which aren’t making a move for similar reasons and the buildings shall stay empty.

Which is why I’m leaving LA forever. It’s all over with for me there. I should have left in 2015 or 2016.

Best
Fatboy <———on to bigger and better things. But still here😃🚀
 
I really like this story. Thanks Lou. I wandered up that way in the mid and late 60's looking for games. Went into Town & Country and played a couple of guys there whose names I don't remember. One guy was tall and thin with a mustache. We played $10 One Pocket and I won a few games before he quit. I also played a young kid with stringy blonde hair who shot straight. He won the first Race to Nine and I won the second and we were done, broke even. I see a poster for a big pool tournament there that weekend, $50 entry fee so I came back a few days later. They had 32 players and a first prize of something like $750. All the best Bay areas guys, Al the Plumber, Dee Hulse, Ronnie Barber and Joe Smiley were there plus a few others who I knew. Lo and behold I see Tom Spencer from Chicago there too. I'm the only one who knows him and I ask him how did he get here. He says he was on the road and heard about this tournament. Make a long story short, I win a match or two and so does Tom and we play each other. He knocks me out and all I get back is my entry fee. He won that tournament! Do you remember it?

Thanks, Jay.

From your descriptions I'd guess you played Rico Sanchez, I think Puerto Rican, who dressed a bit on the flamboyant side, and maybe Devlin who also fits your description. But no, I don't recall the tourney -- might have been a year or two before my time there.

Lou Figueroa
 
I see those spaces now as well Jay.

What scares me about opening a room in LA is there’s no pool culture left. Pools been pretty much gone for 25-30 years. Who’s got time to build up a pool culture like Sacramento has?

I think a well fitted room in LA these days would largely sit empty, unless you had a bar going and that a whole nother kettle of fish I don’t want to bother with.

Then factor in the California BS and taxes, liability etc. All I see is a bunch of frivolous las suits and no income to defend them.

Which is why I’m not leasing any space and starting a room. Which brings this idea of empty space full circle, I bet there’s lots of capable biz men in other businesses which aren’t making a move for similar reasons and the buildings shall stay empty.

Which is why I’m leaving LA forever. It’s all over with for me there. I should have left in 2015 or 2016.

Best
Fatboy <———on to bigger and better things. But still here😃🚀
Basically there is a retail depression going on in Cali.

It's not helped by retail crime that is off the hook.

The 3rd Street Promenade has massive vacancies and the Mall that is attached is in foreclosure.

Junkies wonder down the Third Street Promenade while banners proclaim SM as an outdoor asylum.

Back in the day there were several pool halls on the Promenade.

The problem with pool is an aging demographic.

LA doesn't like to give out pool permits.

Buy Amazon cause retail is in serious trouble.
 
Basically there is a retail depression going on in Cali.

It's not helped by retail crime that is off the hook.

The 3rd Street Promenade has massive vacancies and the Mall that is attached is in foreclosure.

Junkies wonder down the Third Street Promenade while banners proclaim SM as an outdoor asylum.

Back in the day there were several pool halls on the Promenade.

The problem with pool is an aging demographic.

LA doesn't like to give out pool permits.

Buy Amazon cause retail is in serious trouble.
I’m acutely aware of what’s happening in SM.

I moved to LA in 93. I played pool in LA since 85. For 20 years I lived in Vegas and Beverly Hills at the same time, most ppl know me as a Vegas guy. Reality is i’m more of a LA guy. Last 12 years I’ve been La 90% of the time.

Your points are all valid. If I was going to open a pool room in LA Santa Monica would be the absolute last place I’d choose to put a room or any business for that matter…..

I don’t see a new pool room having a 1% chance of survival in LA. Or any other business.

Which is why my house will be on the market soon and I’m leaving LA forever, more on that later

Best
Fatboy 😃
 
why would anyone want to run a pool room nowadays. you make no real money. the customers are not fun to be with,

and you can make shit piles of legal money investing it wisely in things that require minimal work.
 
Parking, parking and more parking. The requirements most cities impose on pool rooms are severe but not without merit. If you think about it, one person one car per pool player is the norm. The best parking I ever saw was Jay Helferts parking at his room in Hollywood Park. He had parking for 30,000 cars.
 
Parking, parking and more parking. The requirements most cities impose on pool rooms are severe but not without merit. If you think about it, one person one car per pool player is the norm. The best parking I ever saw was Jay Helferts parking at his room in Hollywood Park. He had parking for 30,000 cars.
It makes sense for pool rooms to be in malls since they are mostly night businesses and the malls are mostly daytime shoppers. But malls are having a real hard time.
 
near universities and have programs to get them in. and things like girls play free on the front two tables in the window.
free pop for girls.

if you are not enterprising and able to entice spendy people to come in your doors you are doomed for failure.
 
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